More than Just a Bagpipe with Pleats!

Okay, if you you play accordion, you're used to the jokes, so here goes... What's the definition of an optimist? Answer: an accordion player with a pager. But the Roland FR-18 diatonic V-Accordion is certainly no joke, and the accordion player who has one is ready for anything. You see, the Roland FR-18 diatonic V-Accordion is the world's FIRST digital diatonic accordion. Loaded with all the sound and playability that's made Roland a household name (at least in houses where accordion players live), the FR-18 diatonic takes the art of accordion playing to new and uncharted realms. Heck, this baby's got all kinds of great sounds, from orchestral to tone wheel organs, drums, and YES EVEN ACCORDIONS! That's right - you get 12 (count 'em) amazing virtual diatonic accordion's ready at the squeeze of a baffle. But don't let the FR-18 diatonic baffle you, get you're hands on one and discover what you've been missing.

Here's one last parting shot: What's the difference between an accordion and a concertina?

Roland FR-18 diatonic V-Accordion Features at a Glance:

• Color: Black
  
• World's first digital diatonic accordion
  
• 12 onboard accordion models, including three user sets
  
• Virtual Tone Wheel organs onboard with slow and fast rotary
  
• Drum function for manual percussion via bass and chord buttons
  
• Right hand keyboard: 37 buttons, velocity sensitive, selectable tablature and key
  
• Left-hand keyboard: 18 bass buttons, velocity sensitive, selectable tablature and key (same as for right hand), selectable button chord behavior (full chord or omitted third)
  
• Bellows: Real pneumatic detection of bellows pressure (high resolution pressure sensor), bellows resistance regulator
  
• Max polyphony: 128 voices
  
• Wave ROM: 64MB of waveforms (8+8MB expansion sounds)
  
• Tones: 12 accordion Sets, each including: 8 treble registers, 8 orchestral sounds, 4 organ sounds, 3 bass
  
• Treble reed footages: 5
  
• Bass reed footages: 3
  
• Chord reed footages: 2
  
• Modeled noises: Stopping-reed growl, closing valve noise, left button noise
  
• Modeled individual reed simulation: Hysteresis threshold, expression curve, pressure-variant filter, pressure-variant pitch deviation
  
• Modeled reed sound wave switching: By bellows acceleration, by note repetition speed
  
• Micro tuning presets: 15 (Dry, Classic, F-Folk, American L/H, North Europe, German L/H, D-Folk L/H, Alpine, Italian L/H, French, Scottish)
  
• Reverb: 8 types
  
• Chorus: 8 types, rotary (Slow/Fast) for organ sounds
  
• Panel controls
  
• Knobs: VOLUME
  
• Panel switches: 4 treble registers + ORCHESTRA/ORGAN button, SET/FUNCTION register, 3 bass registers, ORCH. BASS button, ORCH. CHORD button, LEFT REGISTER button, KEY/DEMO button, USER PROGRAM button, DRUMS button, TABLATURE button, POWER button
  
• ORCHESTRA/ORGAN modes: Solo, Dual
  
• Key: 12 possible keys (C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B)
  
• Tablatures: 12 types
  
• Bass: On/Off
  
• Octave: Down, 0, Up (for Treble and Orchestra/Organ), 4 User Program memories
  
• Power supply: AC adapter, batteries (AA, HR6 Rechargeable Ni-MH x 8) - Wireless unit and batteries are sold separately
  
• Current draw: 500 mA
  
• Battery life: Approximately 5.5 hours using Ni-MH 2000 mAh batteries
  
• OUTPUT jacks: (L/Mono, R/Mono): 1/4" phone type
  
• PHONES jack: stereo 1/4" phone type
  
• USB-type B: For MIDI over USB
  
• USB-type A: For flash memory storage devices
  
• MIDI OUT/IN connector (function adjustable via parameter)
  
• DC IN jack
  
• Width: 14-3/8"
  
• Depth: 7-11/16"
  
• Height: 14-13/16"
  
• Weight: 11 lbs., 11 oz.

Give up? The accordion takes longer to burn!